No, it’s not what you’d think: a group 1,500 scientists have declared that Canada’s vast coniferous woods should actually get more protection than they get now, since those trees are probably the last standing bastion against aggravated global warming.

As one of the largest green belts in the world, covering an area over 12 times the size of California and stretching from Alaska to the Atlantic Ocean across the center of Canada, Canada's Boreal Forest contains 25 percent of the world’s remaining intact forest and, along with the Amazon and Russian taiga, is one of the world’s three largest intact forest landscapes.

According to Natural Resources Defense Council, although most of the world’s original wilderness forests have been logged or developed until just about 20 percent remains, approximately 80 percent of the Canadian boreal forest is still unfragmented by roads.

"We are losing so many of the world's great forests, despite the best efforts of conservationists," said University of Alberta ecologist David Schindler.

"Canada's Boreal Forest offers what may be our last, best chance to do things right, but only if our leaders act decisively and act now."

Right now, the Canadian Government protects only 10% of the Boreal Forest, prompting the scientists to request the protection for at least half of the surface of this important ecosystem. They also expect the government to take action concerning the management of what is left, since Canada’s large reserves of tar sands (which can produce oil) are very attractive for large companies and a forest area estimated to be the size of Florida is slated to be cut off to make place for industrial activities.

According to Reuters, Stanford University Professor Terry Root said a stable forest system is particularly important for the survival of all kinds of species in the face of global warming.

"One of the ways that we can help species to survive is to be in a place where there are very few other stresses -- things like habitat fragmentation and invasive species," she told a news conference.

Like the Amazon, the boreal forest is of critical importance to all living things on earth. It is home to the one of the world's largest remaining stands of spruce, fir and tamarack. The thick layers of moss, soil and peat of the boreal are the world's largest terrestrial storehouse of organic carbon and play an enormous role in regulating the Earth's climate. Boreal wetlands filter millions of gallons of water each day that fill our northern rivers, lakes, and streams. As a vast, intact forest ecosystem, the boreal supports a natural web of large carnivores, such as bears, wolves and lynx along with thousands of other species of plants, mammals, birds and insects.